The BS pressure in CT is very high--the high humidity makes it very easy for the spores to germinate, as it often takes a long time for the leaves to dry off. I've seen some BS on Fragrant Lavender Simplicity at the end of the season, after I've stopped spraying, so I doubt the leaves will be clean without spraying. But, it may be one of the better choices in this color.

There are multiple Spirea x bumalda cultivars with colored foliage. On 'Magic Carpet' as with the larger 'Goldflame' the new growth is bright orangey-pink fading to coppery green and the flowers are magenta. 'Limemound' is bright lime green fading to chartruese with magenta flowers. Link to picture included. I like colorful and unusual foliage too. I may have to order that gold Clemmie. I have never had to mail order a Clemmie, have found all of my 40+ locally. Alpinas do great for me here. Here is a link that might be useful: Spirea Limemound

Lavenders are Mediterranean plants, so a climate most similar or duplicating those growing conditions as much as possible will give you the best results. English lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia) are without argument the most cold hardy - easily to zone 5. The lavandins (Lavandula x intermedia) are close on their tail, but these vary quite a bit with cultivar. These are the taller stemmed, heavy oil producers that are used in the perfume trade. I'd avoid Spanish (L. stoechas) or French (L. dentata) - neither of these will be reliably hardy in 6; most won't even overwinter consistantly in my very mild zone 8 and we have the US's largest commercial lavender growing operations nearby. I'd go with one of the English cultivars - 'Munstead' or 'Hidcote' are deep colored, compact and robust plants. Lavenders (of all types) need full sun and well drained, rather lean soil. Avoid overly fertile soil and make sure drainage is very sharp - that is the key to successful lavender growing. Water only enough to get them established and do not fertilize. Trim back lightly in late summer after the flowers fade but give them a closer cut in spring when you see new growth appearing. Don't cut back into bare wood. An annual spring shearing will ensure the plants stay dense and compact, maximize the flowering and keep the plants from splaying or developing overly woody interiors. It is certainly not too late to plant now. Most nurseries should be offering lavender starts with their herbs. There is also a specialty lavender nursery in Harwich, MA - Cape Cod Lavender Farm. I've never grown lavender from seed but it can be reliably propagated from cuttings. If you have concerns or want to try a marginal variety, lavender does very well in containers, which can then be moved to winter protection. It will not be happy indoors, however.

Thank you both! From everything I've read today, my best bet seems to be to take cuttings and try to root them and use them to replace the parent plant this fall or in the spring. I had to cut back to the main trunk of the plant and it looks like I gave it a poodle haircut! I'm putting two rosemary plants in next to the lavender so I'll test the drainage of the area this weekend. There seems to be more sand in the clay in this section, so maybe it won't need as much work as I thought it would. I know it's a bad time to plant the rosemary, but they'll do better in the ground than in pots, especially if I keep them watered well. I almost can't believe that it was actually too wet to do this in the spring, yet it's already so hot and dry! We must love the challenge of gardening here to keep doing it!